Village of Greenport eyes kiosks for carousel tickets after price hike

The Village of Greenport is considering kiosks to sell tickets for the carousel in Mitchell Park, after a price increase from $2.00 to $2.50 in late December.

Treasurer Robert Brant said at a work session last Thursday that he’s leaning towards New Hampshire-based Advanced Kiosks, which has been “very responsive” and offers some of the lowest prices among the companies he’s been researching.

The kiosk would cost around $12,000 altogether, he said. Other costs are still uncertain. The kiosk would also come with an $1,800 annual fee to maintain and upgrade software. 

The touch-screen kiosk would be credit and debit card only, he added, which most people use there anyway. The goal is to avoid handling cash. 

“People that want to pay cash can go to the window at the marina,” he said. “We’re trying to eliminate the handling of cash in the carousel itself … Again, there’s the turnover of staff and their ability to handle the mechanism of giving change. The 50-cent change thing seems to be throwing a lot of these kids off.”

The village would eliminate the cashier position at the carousel itself to offset the cost of the kiosk, Mr. Brandt said. It would take roughly two years to recoup the costs. 

Mayor George Hubbard said to “put together some final numbers and we’ll go from there.”